Fractured Time
by Lady K'Lyssia
Summary: Tom Paris finds himself in a changed reality--one he doesn't want to see end. Guest appearances by Wesley Crusher and the Traveler.


This one was submitted 6 times to the Strange New Worlds Contest.  
Fractured Time earned second reads until the last year when it came back as having been one of the last stories cut.

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**_FRACTURED TIME_**

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Tom Paris sat up in his bed, shaking. Without thinking, he reached down to rub at his right ankle. _It was only a dream,_ he thought. _A bad one, but it was only a dream._ Despite not having ever worn a prison anklet, he swore he could feel the weight of one on his leg as he got up.

"Coffee, hot," he ordered the replicator. Paris picked up the cup, the hot liquid splashing onto his hand, after it materialized. The ship rocked violently and Paris jumped, spilling his coffee as he grabbed a uniform. He had to take a second look at the collar pips. For an instant, he thought he had only seen one black pip; now, there were three -- two silver and one black -- Lt. Commander, what was supposed to be there.

"All senior officers to duty stations," Lt. Harry Kim's voice came over the intercom.

#

"Good morning, Harry," Paris said, when he stepped out of the turbo-lift. "Seems like every time the Captain leaves you in command of the night watch, I get woke up out of a sound sleep. Don't tell me you found another sentient weapon."

"Uh, no, Commander," Kim said, the color rising in his cheeks. "It's not a weapon. I don't know what it is, but it doesn't appear to be anything like that."

"Good." Paris tapped Seska on the shoulder and relieved her at the helm.

The Bajoran woman stood up and rolled her shoulders back stretching the muscles. "Thanks for getting me some time at the helm, Commander. I better get down to engineering," she said.

Paris nodded, sat down, and began studying the information on his board. "Harry, route your sensor data to the helm," he said after a minute.

"Yes, Sir," Kim said.

"Report!" Paris heard Janeway snap after the turbo-lift doors had opened and closed.

Paris glanced up and grinned at the Captain and First Officer as they stepped down onto the command deck. Paris knew he wasn't the only person on Voyager pleased by Janeway and Chakotay's relationship; most of the crew was happy to see it. As he turned back to his console, Paris noticed Kim's slight frown.

_Poor Harry,_ he thought. _He just can't accept it._ He had told Kim several times the Captain and Chakotay were professionals and wouldn't let their relationship affect their decisions. However, the Lieutenant was still too fresh out of the Academy to get past his Starfleet induced prejudices.

"Captain, we seem to be at the edge of some kind of temporal anomaly. The energy waves appear to be emanating from a planet approximately twelve parsecs away," Tuvok said.

"The emissions are playing havoc with our engines and various other systems, Captain," Kim said.

"I have the course laid in and ready," Paris said, looking back at the Captain.

"Thank you, Commander. Let's hold this position until we get some more data," Janeway said, sitting in her chair. She looked down and pushed one of the buttons. "Janeway to Engineering."

"Engineering, Lieutenant Carey."

"Mister Carey, what's the status on our engines and other systems?" Janeway asked.

"I have Torres working on getting the impulse engines back on line, you should have them shortly. We're still working on the warp engines. The temporal energy is causing some serious fluctuations in the warp core. Unless we can find a way to shield it, I'll have to shut it down."

"Understood. Stay on top of it," Janeway said.

#

"B'Elanna, how are those impulse engines coming?" Carey asked when the comm channel closed.

"Almost there. About five more minutes, if you quit bothering me with questions," Torres snapped without looking up from the console she was working at.

"Got it." Carey turned back to his console and left the volatile half-Klingon alone. She knew what she was doing, and didn't need him standing over her shoulder. He also knew the only reason he had been given the post of Chief Engineer over her was her temper.

"Lieutenant Carey?" a soft voice said behind him.

Carey turned to see the former Borg drone, Annika Hansen, standing there. Janeway had given Hansen the rank of lieutenant after she had been liberated from the Collective. Despite the implants Doctor Fitzgerald hadn't been able to remove, she was quite stunning in her blue uniform. Hansen ran the astrometrics department, yet lent her vast knowledge to every project that might benefit.

"Yes, Lieutenant?" he asked.

"I have knowledge which might be of assistance in shielding the warp core from the temporal energy."

Carey nodded and stepped back from the console. He watched as Hansen began imputing various commands into the console.

"That should be sufficient," Hansen said, stepping back from the console.

Carey glanced at the console. Hansen had changed the phase shift of the warp core shielding. The monitors indicated the core was stabilizing. "Looks good. Thank you," he said.

Hansen nodded sharply, smiled then turned to leave.

"Impulse engines are back on line," Torres called as the ship rocked again.

Carey glanced at Torres and froze, as the scene seemed to waiver. She was standing there with Commander Chakotay. "There they are; your staff," Chakotay said.

"I'll try not to break any of their noses," Torres said, smiling.

"First order of the day: Captain wants the warp drive back on line by thirteen hundred hours," Chakotay said.

"Thirteen hundred," Torres said with a snort. "That's impossible."

"Then maybe you need to go break a few noses." Chakotay glanced away for a moment then looked straight at B'Elanna. "Or at least bend a few."

Torres smiled. Carey was surprised at how much her features softened with that single gesture.

Chakotay nodded then left.

The scene cleared and Carey shook his head slightly then nodded to Torres as he continued to watch the warp core monitors. Hansen's modifications to the shielding were holding.

"Carey to Bridge," he said.

"Go ahead," Janeway's voice came over the intercom.

"Impulse engines are back on line and Lieutenant Hansen has reconfigured the shielding around the warp core."

"Thank you, Mister Carey." The intercom closed with an audible click.

#

"Please state the nature of the medical emergency," Kaliana heard a voice say as she sat at the desk in the office reading a medical text.

She placed the padd down on the desk and stepped out of the office. There was no one in the main room of Sickbay. The ship shuddered and she grabbed the office doorway to keep from falling. She felt disoriented as she glanced around the room again. Two vague figures caught her eye. Kaliana focused her concentration and the figures sharpened. It was Kes and Neelix, her parents.

"Is something wrong?" Kes asked.

"No, nothing," Neelix said, not looking at Kes.

"You've been very quiet, ever since I decided not to conceive." Kes stepped closer to Neelix.

"It was your choice." Neelix continued looking down at whatever it was he was working on, not meeting Kes' eyes. "I respect that."

Kaliana could see those eyes glistening as Kes continued to study Neelix.

Kes reached out and took Neelix's arm as she smiled softly. "I think you're disappointed," she said.

Neelix finally looked up at Kes. "I think," he said his voice hesitant. "Once I decided to become a father, I was looking forward to it. But, I'll get over it."

The ship shuddered again and the images faded.

_What was that?_ Kaliana thought. _It felt like a memory, but presented itself like a waking dream. Almost like one of mother's visions._ She had been exercising her mental abilities more this year. Tuvok had even praised her progress and control in their last session. _Was this some kind of message?_

#

"Tom!"

Paris glanced around the crowded mess hall, looking for the person who had called him. Neelix touched his elbow then pointed to the far corner. Paris nodded his thanks and made his way back to where Kaliana was waiting for him.

"Hi, Kali," Paris said. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek then sat down. "What's up?"

"The weirdest thing happened to me a few hours ago in Sickbay."

Paris took a bite of his food and made a face. "Leola root," he said. "I swear your dad puts it into everything." He pushed his plate to the side.

"He feels its nutritional value makes up for its taste," Kaliana said with a smile.

"So he has said on numerous occasions. Now, what were you going to tell me about Sickbay."

"I was studying the text Doctor Fitzgerald gave me, when I thought I heard someone say something; when I checked there was no one there."

"You were probably just so tired from studying that you imagined it. It's no big deal. Same thing use to happen to me at the Academy." He reached out and placed his hand on hers.

"No, that's not it." Kaliana shook her head and pulled her hand back. "There's more to it. I had a vision of my mother and father. They were talking and I felt like it was about me, yet it wasn't." She went on to describe the scene she had witnessed. "It was real, Tom. I could feel it. What if I'm not supposed to be here?"

"Come on, Kali, how can that be? You're here, that's all that matters."

"I know you feel that way, but what if reality has changed and I'm not supposed to be here?" Her voice had picked up a hysterical edge to it as she stared at him.

Paris closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and stared over her shoulder at the stars visible in the window. "I had a dream that felt similar to what you're describing," he said after a couple of minutes. He fought to hide his shaking as he told her about the dream. While he talked, the memories came back strongly. It had felt so real; he could smell the salt in the air from the ocean breezes.

#

He and Captain Janeway had been walking through a park in the Federation Penal Settlement on New Zealand. "You'd like me to lead you to my former colleagues," he had said, looking at Janeway as they walked. "I was only with the Maquis for a few weeks before I was captured, Captain. I don't know where most of their hiding places are."

"You know the territory better than anyone we've got," she said in that matter of tone of hers.

They continued to walk and talk. It was mostly small talk. Janeway mentioned that she had served with his father as a science officer. _Was that supposed to be an insult?_ Paris wondered. He knew his father, Admiral Owen Paris, only worked with the best. _Is she trying to tell me she has something I don't -- my father's respect?_

He had no real loyalty to the Maquis or to Starfleet for that matter. Why was he still talking to Janeway? He didn't owe her or anyone anything. Still the idea of trying to track a ship in the Badlands had piqued his sense of adventure and he finally agreed to come along on the mission. "I have no problem helping you track down my _friends_ in the Maquis, Captain. All I need to know from you is -- what's in it for me?" he asked. He didn't bother to hide the sarcasm and bitterness in his voice. He didn't like Janeway's 'we're doing you a favor' attitude and he didn't care if she knew it.

Janeway stopped and turned towards him. He could see she was appraising him again. _Probably hoping she isn't making a mistake,_ he thought.

"You help us find that ship, we help you at your next outmate review," Janeway said. "Officially, you'll be a Starfleet observer during the mission," she added.

"Observer?" Paris rolled his eyes and stepped away several feet before turning back around. "Hell, I'm the best pilot you could have," he said. _So much for having any fun on this trip,_ he thought.

"You'll be an observer." Janeway's tone was insistent and obviously, she wasn't about to argue the point any further. "When it's over, you'll be cut loose."

"Story of my life," he said softly.

#

"It felt like a real memory. But, I know it never happened. Weirdest thing is, when I picked up my uniform today, for the briefest moment, I could have sworn there was only one pip on it." He reached up and rubbed his finger along the right side of his collar, counting the pips.

Kaliana looked at him, slid her hand over his, and squeezed gently.

"Forgive my intrusion, Commander. I wasn't intending to eavesdrop. But, I had a similar experience." Lt. Carey said from the table where he and Lt. Hansen were sitting.

"And, what was the main point of yours?" Kaliana asked.

"That Torres was made Chief Engineer; not me," Carey said.

"Perhaps it has something to do with whatever is causing the temporal emissions," Hansen said.

"We need to let the Captain know about this," Paris said.

#

Janeway looked up from her computer screen as the chime to her ready room sounded. "Come in," she said.

"Have you got a minute, Captain?" Paris asked as he and Kaliana entered the room.

"What can I do for you?" Janeway asked, gesturing to the couch.

Paris and Kaliana sat down. "The anomaly we're studying is starting to affect the crew, Captain," Kaliana said.

"How so?" Janeway asked.

"People on the ship are starting to experience visions, dreams or something that is reflecting an altered reality," Paris said.

"But, the problem is this altered reality may be the one we're suppose to be in," Kaliana interrupted.

"What makes you say that?" Janeway asked.

"I can't really explain it, but I do know we are not the way we're supposed to be. Something has changed our reality."

"And you think this has something to do with the emissions we've been encountering?" Janeway asked.

"That would be our guess," Paris said. He kept his gaze on the floor not looking up at the Captain.

"Very well. Set a course for the planet Mister Tuvok identified."

"Yes, Ma'am." Paris said, then stood up and left the room.

"What's wrong with Tom?" Janeway asked after the doors to her ready room closed.

"The other reality isn't one he's looking forward to having in place. Apparently, that version of him has had a pretty rough life."

"But, maybe that's not the true reality and this one is. Either way I think we have to find out what's going on."

"I agree, but don't expect everyone to be enthusiastic about it, Captain."

"I'm not. Believe me, I'm not." Janeway glanced at the picture of her Irish Setter, Molly, on her desk. "Have Doctor Fitzgerald check with the rest of the crew. Let's find out how many are being affected."

"Yes, Captain." Kaliana turned and left the room.

#

"Captain, we've entered orbit of the planet," Paris said when Janeway entered the bridge.

"Mister Tuvok, sensor readings?" Janeway asked.

"The planet we are now orbiting is definitely the source of the temporal energy. It is emanating from an area in the southern hemisphere. However, due to the high graviton emissions, I can not locate the exact location. Scans indicate the remains of a city in the general area. I would recommend our search start there," Tuvok said.

"Tom, you'll have the bridge while we're down there," Janeway said.

"Yes, Ma'am," Paris said without looking back from the helm.

"Mister Tuvok, I want a full security detail with us when we beam down."

"Of course, Captain," the Vulcan replied.

"Captain, can I speak to you privately?" Chakotay asked.

Janeway nodded and gestured towards her ready room. She followed her First Officer off the bridge.

"Something you want to add?" she asked after the doors closed behind them.

"Kathryn there's something familiar about this planet and what's happening. Unfortunately, it's one of those highly classified things," Chakotay said.

"Like Omega?"

"Like Omega." He nodded.

"You're the one who convinced me to tell the senior staff about Omega. I doubt there's anything more classified than that."

"If there is, it's probably this," Chakotay frowned. "Here's what I know. Early in my Starfleet career, I was assigned to an archeological team on the Time Planet."

"Time Planet?"

"It was discovered by the Enterprise under the command of James Kirk. On this planet is a device, a sentient machine almost, called the _Guardian of Forever_. It's a time portal. This planet is one of the most closely guarded secrets in the Federation. The past of any planet is accessible through the Guardian. Except for certain select teams, the planet is quarantined."

"I don't think this is something we should share with the rest of the crew -- yet," Janeway said.

"I agree. One other thing, to minimize the risks, I think only Commander Tuvok and myself should beam down. However, I doubt there's anyway I can convince you to stay; is there?"

"None that I can think of. Let's go."

#

The three of them materialized in the middle of a city. The wind whipped past them. Tuvok raised his tricorder and turned in a slow circle as he studied the readings. "No life sign readings, Captain," he said. "I do have a reading on the temporal emissions. They're coming from a location approximately fifty meters to the west."

"Let's take a look," Janeway said, leading the way down the street.

As she walked through the city, Janeway glanced up at the buildings around them. They were tall, reminiscent of the skyscrapers of old Earth, and a silver-gray color that intensified the dim light reflecting off them. The stone of the buildings held a shimmering, silver light that ran through it like blood through veins. Across the surfaces were carved runic symbols.

"So, this is what it once looked like," she heard Chakotay mutter behind her.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"The city left on the planet in the Alpha Quadrant is in ruins. Nothing left but stones and a few columns," Chakotay said.

"Captain," Tuvok said, nodding towards a large lop-sided, almost triangular, stone with a hole in the middle. The stone held the same silver light as the surrounding buildings, and it was pulsating gently.

The Vulcan began scanning the object. "Captain," he said. "This is remarkable. This object is the source of the temporal energy. Yet, I can find no evidence of any kind of mechanism."

"You won't, Mister Tuvok," Chakotay said, stepping up and placing a hand on the surface of the stone. "It's not a machine as we would understand it."

"Then what is it?" Janeway asked.

"A question," a deep booming voice said. "Since before your sun burned hot in space and before your race was born, I have awaited a question." The voice echoed off the buildings.

As Janeway and the others stared at the stone, mist began to fill the opening. Images blinked in and out then vanished completely.

"Chakotay, is this the Guardian?" Janeway asked.

"A question," the booming voice said again. "Since before your sun . . ." Again the mist and images appeared.

Janeway stepped closer to the opening, studying the images. "Kathryn, don't!" Chakotay yelled, as she took another step.

Janeway stopped and turned to face her First Officer, her hand brushing across the mist. As she stepped away from the stone, the mist began rolling out from the opening and surrounded the trio.

#

"Commander!" Kim said a note of panic in his voice. "I've lost all trace of the away team. They're gone!"

"What?" Paris' head jerked up and he turned to face the Operations console.

"One second they were there -- the next; they were gone," Kim said. "Their biosignatures and comm badge signals vanished from sensors. I was reading a temporal disturbance in their area, followed by a phase shift -- then nothing. I'm not even reading the power fluctuations or temporal emissions we were getting earlier. Everything's gone."

"Contact Lieutenant Hansen and relay all the data we have on this to Astrometrics. I want her opinion on this."

"Yes, Sir."

"Harry, you have the bridge. I'm going to take a walk. Schedule a staff meeting in the briefing room in fifteen minutes." Paris stood and headed for the turbo-lift.

"Yes, Sir." He heard Kim's reply just before the doors closed. The Lieutenant's disapproval was evident in his tone.

_Too bad,_ he thought. _I need time to think this thing through. I have a bad feeling about all this._ He went back to his quarters and sat on the couch, looking around the room. He wondered how much of it would be changed when this was over. One thing he knew would be gone was Kaliana. He picked up the picture of her from the table and looked at it. _So like your mother,_ he thought. Paris knew she was convinced she wasn't supposed to be here and if that was what it took to correct the timeline, she would sacrifice herself.

"Damn it!" Paris said. "Who says this timeline is any less real than that other one." He carefully placed the picture back on the table, then got up and headed for the briefing room.

#

"Well, Doc, what have you got?" Paris asked, after everyone was seated in the briefing room.

"Approximately eighty-six percent of the crew are reporting dreams or visions that appear to be similar to what you and Kaliana described. The crew is also reporting that the dreams seem more like memories. However, they're memories of events that never happened. Most appear to be some sort of minor incident, but it would be enough to cause a timeline change –- if that is what we're dealing with here. Temporal mechanics was never one of my strong points at the Academy," Fitzgerald said.

"Nor one of mine. Lieutenant Hansen, what have you and Harry come up with?" Paris asked.

Hansen stood and moved over to one of the computer panels. "We appear to be dealing with some sort of time shifting. At the moment the Captain and her party vanished, there was a phase shift in their area. There is also evidence of a major temporal disruption, originating at this point." The screen on the panel displayed a picture of the Guardian.

"Continuing scans of the planet and surrounding space have given no indication of the away team. I can only assume they have been moved out of our time. Further study of this object is needed," Hansen said.

"You and Harry get whatever you need together and we'll transport down in ten minutes. Mister Carey, I want someone from engineering down there as well. Recommendations?"

"Torres. She's a good engineer and has an understanding of temporal mechanics," Carey said, after a moment's thought.

"Tell her to meet us in the transporter room. Dismissed," Paris said.

Paris sat for a few minutes in the empty briefing room. He didn't like having command thrust on him like this. He was capable and willing to fill in when needed, but he preferred to stay at the helm of Voyager. He stood and turned to look out the window at the dusty brown planet under them. Somewhere, down there was the person who should be making this decision: not him.

"Where are you?" he whispered as he stared at the planet.

#

"This seems to mark the boundary of the temporal displacement," Hansen said, studying her tricorder. "I don't recommend proceeding past this point, Commander," she added as Paris started to walk past her.

"The phase shift is still there, you could end up being moved out of our reality," Kim said.

"Commander," Torres called. "That object in the center of the displacement appears to be what's responsible for the anomaly. It's some type of mechanism, but I'm also getting indications that it may be alive. It doesn't make any sense."

"Commander!" Hansen said. "Something's happening. I'm reading an energy surge."

Paris drew his phaser and backed up several feet from where he had been standing. The stone of the object was pulsating with a silver light and a deep hum could be heard. He noted Torres standing next to him with her phaser drawn also. Hansen was still taking tricorder readings, as was Kim.

"Commander, the area of temporal distortion is receding." Kim adjusted his tricorder. "It . . . it's gone," he said.

Paris nodded. He continued to watch the pulsating stone.

"Voyager to away team," Seska's voice came over Paris' comm badge.

Paris tapped his badge. "Paris, here."

"Commander, we just had five people vanish off Voyager. Internal sensors registered a phase shift in their area at the time: then nothing. We can't locate any trace of them," Seska said.

"Understood. Put the ship on red alert. We'll continue to investigate down here. Have the transporter room maintain a lock on us at all times. If you detect a phase shift in our vicinity, transport us back immediately."

"Aye, Sir. Voyager out." The channel closed with an audible click.

Paris glanced back at the stone and saw the opening was filling with mist and two humanoids were stepping out of it. "Maybe, we can get some answers from them," he said.

He turned towards Hansen and Kim. "The distortion?" he asked.

"Gone. There is no evidence of any temporal activity at all," Hansen said, a crease crossing her forehead as she studied her tricorder. "I don't know how, but the temporal energy coming from that object has been frozen somehow."

"I want to talk to these guys." Paris returned his phaser to his belt and began walking towards the two newcomers. The taller of the two stepped to the side of the structure and rested his hands on the stone; he had a meditative look on his face. The other turned to meet them.

"You're Starfleet officers?" he asked, his eyes wide as he studied them.

"I'm Lieutenant Commander Thomas Paris of the USS Voyager." Paris held out his hand.

"Wesley Crusher." The younger man turned towards his companion, who stepped away from the structure. "This is --"

"A Traveler," the other person said nodding politely.

"My fellow officers; Lieutenants B'Elanna Torres, Annika Hansen and Harry Kim. What do you know about this thing and what's been going on?" Paris gestured to the portal.

"It's a Guardian," Crusher said. "It has a counterpart in what we refer to as the Alpha Quadrant, which calls itself the _Guardian of Forever._ They're portals through which time travel is possible. The history of any world is available through them. Unfortunately, this one is malfunctioning. Because they're linked together, it's causing the other to malfunction also. We're here to repair it."

"Malfunctioning, how?" Hansen asked.

"We're not sure, exactly. We know it's sending out temporal energy that is affecting time in small, but dangerous ways. It appears to be interacting with individuals and changing elements of their past."

"Since you know so much about this thing, perhaps you can tell us what it did with our missing personnel," Torres said, stepping past Paris to glare at Crusher.

"Explain," the Traveler said softly.

"Captain Janeway came down here with an away team to examine this Guardian," Paris said. "We monitored a phase shift and a large temporal distortion then they vanished from our sensors completely. A few minutes ago, I received a call from Voyager, reporting five crewmembers had vanished from the ship."

"That means the time/space continuum is trying to repair itself. It is probably trying to shift people back to their proper reality. But, it hasn't found the focal point yet," the Traveler said.

"Focal point?" Hansen asked.

"Yes. All the changes that have been made are tied together somehow. That focal point is here, somewhere," Crusher said.

"Are you trying to say this is somehow our fault?" Torres demanded.

"Rein in that temper of yours, Lieutenant!" Paris said.

"But, Commander." The half-Klingon spun around to face him, her anger evident in her tightly clenched fists.

"But, nothing Lieutenant." Paris said.

The Traveler stepped back over to the Guardian and resumed his contact with the device. The lights in the stone flared brightly and Paris felt the disorienting effect of a transporter beam.

#

"What happened?" Paris demanded, looking around Voyager's transporter room.

"Sensors detected a phase shift in your area and we transported you back to the ship. Per your orders," the ensign behind the console said.

Paris stepped off the platform and turned to look at the group. Everyone was there except Wesley Crusher and the Traveler.

"Harry, scan the surface for other life forms," Paris ordered.

Kim moved over to the transporter console and typed several commands. "I'm getting intermittent readings. It's almost like their shifting in and out of phase," Kim said. "No way to get a lock on them."

"Keep scanning. The second you can get a lock, I want them brought on board." Paris headed out the door.

"Commander!" Torres called, before he got very far down the corridor. "We should send an armed security team down there and bring them to the ship. They obviously know what's going on here. They're probably responsible for the disappearance of the Captain and the others," she said.

"I have to agree with Lieutenant Torres, Sir," Hansen said, coming up behind the engineer. "They appear to have very specific information about this device and how it works. I also believe they were not telling us the whole story."

"Bridge to Commander Paris," Seska's voice came over the intercom.

Paris tapped his badge. "Go ahead."

"We've had another ten crewmembers vanish. Also, the temporal emissions are starting to affect the warp core again. Lieutenant Carey recommends leaving the area until the containment fields can be stabilized," Seska said.

"Hold position. We are not leaving until I get some answers about what's going on. Torres, Hansen get to Engineering!" Paris said, and then ran back to the transporter room.

"Tom! Wait up. I'm going with you," a voice called.

Paris stopped at the door to the transporter room and turned to see Kaliana running down the hall.

"No, Kali, you're not. It's too dangerous," he said.

"I have to go. I checked with the computer. All the recent disappearances are those who have not had any dreams or visions: including Doctor Fitzgerald. Tom, if I'm right, none of them were supposed to be here; including me."

"But, you had a vision."

"Yes, I did. And, it convinced me I'm not supposed to be here either. I was never meant to be born."

Paris reached up, brushed her blonde hair back from her face, and held her for a second. "But, I want you here," he said.

"I know. I want to stay here with you, but I also know I don't belong here. Who knows, maybe in that other reality, Voyager has made it back home."

Paris caressed her cheek then froze as Kaliana faded from view. "No!" he cried.

Paris glanced around; nothing seemed to have changed. The ship was still on red alert and his memories hadn't changed. _She wasn't the focal point, like she thought. But, if it's not her, then who is it?_

"Harry, transport me back down to the surface!" Paris said, stepping back into the transporter room.

"We're reading a large temporal distortion around the Guardian," Kim said. "You could end up lost like the others."

"Don't argue with me, Harry. Just do it!"

"Yes, Sir."

#

"Bridge to Captain," Kim's voice came over the intercom, waking Captain Janeway.

"Go ahead," she said, sitting up.

"Captain, I'm -- I'm sorry. Sensors picked up several waves of temporal energy coming towards the ship. But, it's gone now. Scans can't find anything. It appeared to be originating from a dead M-class world about twelve parsecs from our current position. Should I alter course?"

"There's nothing on the sensors at this time?" Janeway asked.

"Correct," Kim replied.

"Are we picking up any unusual readings from the planet?"

"No, Captain. It appears to be dead. No indications of anything."

"Maintain course, Mister Kim. Have Seven run a full sensor diagnostic and calibration. Unless something else happens, I'll see you in the morning."

"Yes, Ma'am. Sorry to have bothered you."

"Don't worry about it, Ensign. Good night."

#

Tom Paris sat upright in his bed, shaking. Without thinking, he reached down to rub at his right ankle. It had been over five years since he had worn that damn prison anklet, but there were times he could still feel its weight.

The dream had already faded from his mind as he sat there looking around. His eyes rested on his uniform laid over the back of the chair. For a moment, he thought he saw three rank pips on the collar; two silver and one black. Paris rubbed his eyes and looked again. Only one pip was there now. Ensign –- just what it was suppose to be.

#

"They're a long way from home. Too bad we can't send them back," Crusher said.

"Wesley, the balance of time and space is delicate. To move even one thing out of its proper time and place creates distortions along all planes of existence," the Traveler said in his calm and gentle voice.

"So there is nothing we can do for them?"

"Not at this time or in this place. They must continue on their journey. There are still things they will do here."

The opening in the Guardian began misting over and a scene appeared. Together they stepped through the opening. Behind them, the wind howled as it blew through the empty city.


End file.
